Good Grief is pleased to share this brand-new film about Good Grief Weston 2024, an in-person festival in North Somerset produced by Super Culture in collaboration with the University of Bristol and the Weston-super-Mare Community Network.
The film showcases moments from a range of the thirty different events that took place over the festival, including immersive theatre, music, film, book clubs, gardening, cooking, talks from health professionals, creative offers in the high street, bespoke activities at Weston General Hospital and a public discussion on assisted dying involving Dan Aldridge, MP for Weston-super-Mare.
Good Grief’s Founding Director, Professor Lucy Selman, explains, ‘We started Good Grief Festival to provide opportunities for people to come together and talk, reflect and learn about grief and death. Through normalising and presenting different perspectives on these subjects, we hope to encourage connection and reduce social isolation towards the end of life and in bereavement’.
The diverse programme aimed to engage people of all ages and walks of life in a variety of events and activities designed to open up inclusive conversations. Some of these people feature in the film. Look out for psychotherapist Julia Samuel MBE and palliative care doctor Dr Rachel Clarke, as well as a huge range of artists, community members, and professionals who work with people who are bereaved or nearing the end of life.
Good Grief Weston also connects people to support networks and community resources where they live. For example, Weston Hospicecare offered an invaluable partnership, providing ‘Listening Ears’ which ensured there were safe spaces at each event. Hospice Director of Patient Services John Bailey is passionate about the need for more open discussion about death and dying, so that people feel more empowered to make informed choices at difficult points in their lives.
John reflects, ‘Why is it we find it so difficult to talk to each other about what worries we have about dying and those left behind? Good Grief Weston events, including the discussion on assisted dying, have helped people to feel empowered and confident to talk about death, to ask questions of each other, and to listen and address what we and our loved ones would like to happen when death comes and in bereavement’.
Good Grief Weston 2024 enabled people who attended to build connections, share experiences and open up ways of thinking. Through a varied programme of workshops, events and activities in Weston and wider North Somerset, we spoke openly and compassionately about this universally shared experience, offering solace and community across the Festival and beyond.
To see the whole Good Grief Weston programme, please visit the Super Culture website: https://superculture.org.uk/projects/good-grief-weston-24